Training Camp Report: Top Takeaways from Day 9

Training Camp Report: Top Takeaways from Day 9

By Kristen Lago

The Rams were back in full pads for Day 9 of their training camp today after a light walk-thru practice to cap the weekend. Monday afternoon marked the team’s last day on field before they practice with the Chargers on Wednesday, in the second of two joint practices. Tomorrow will be a players day off.

When addressing the media after Sunday’s practice, head coach Sean McVay said he hoped the mental focus and light nature of the afternoon would translate into a high intensity practice today — and for the most part he got exactly what he wanted. Check out our top takeaways from Day 9:

TOP TAKEAWAYS

1. The secondary continues to shine

In what is quickly becoming a familiar trend to this year’s training camp, the Rams’ secondary continued to be a bright spot on the defense with numerous pass deflections and almost picks.

Safety Cody Davis had two tipped passes throughout the day, skillfully reading the receiver’s routes and excelling in his man coverage. Rookie defensive back John Johnson also had a would-be pick, but was unable to hold on to the ball on a pass from quarterback Sean Mannion. Finally, after forcing an incomplete pass early on in the day, cornerback Mike Jordan was able to come up with an interception on the last play of the day. The whole defense huddled around Jordan congratulating him for his impressive grab.

After Friday’s practice, defensive coordinator Wade Phillips discussed the secondary’s improvement during camp, emphasizing its focus on giving up less points overall.

“We’ve still got to get some things done, but I’m pleased with where we are right now,” Phillips said. “Part of that is the passing game, stopping [and] slowing down the passing game. Nobody really stops that in this league, but, if you cut it down enough, you cut down on the number of points they score against you and that helps.”

Judging by today’s practice, Phillips’ technique seems to be working, as the secondary successfully challenged the offense on its passing game play after play.


2. The entire team amps up its energy

But the secondary was not the only position group to turn on the intensity in today’s practice. The entire team was in good spirits throughout the afternoon and the competition level was set high during each set of drills.

Throughout the last nine days of training camp, the Rams have moved on from simply learning the new systems to working more fully on their execution level and skillset. And by mastering the systems, McVay says they are able to give more energy and output when it comes to the various portions of practice.

“I think you’re seeing a lot of good, competitive work, really from top to bottom on our roster,” McVay said. “Now that we’ve gotten a little bit further into our installs, the nice thing is you can do a lot of unscripted work and kind of some situational stuff.”

On offense, wide receivers Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods along with tight ends Gerald Everett, Tyler Higbee and Temarrick Hemingway stood out with a number of solid receptions. While on defense, a variety of guys had some good looks throughout the day, including cornerbacks Kayvon Webster and Troy Hill.

“That’s the type of energy that you like to see from the team,” McVay added. “I think it raises the level of competition where there was some good back and forth.”

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